ARM and Sensor Platforms Deliver an Open Source Framework for Sensor Devices

CAMBRIDGE, England -- June 24, 2014 -- ARM® and Sensor Platforms Inc. are extending their collaboration to the Open Sensor Platform (OSP) to simplify development of embedded sensor-based products utilizing ARM architecture. Contributions to the OSP framework will enable ARM CMSIS, the ARM RTX RTOS, and compatibility with the ARM mbed™ SDK and mbed platforms.

OSP provides a framework for the deployment of sensor fusion hubs for ARM-based solutions in mobile computing, wearables and IoT devices. This allows developers to rapidly create intelligent products enabled by standards-based software and hardware which are easy for developers to deploy and manage. The benefits can be summarized as follows:

Sensor manufacturers: the ability to quickly integrate their sensors into new products, and to demonstrate their capability to prospective developers or OEMs

Sensor Hub MCU vendors: gain access to a complete sensor ecosystem

Sensor Fusion developers: availability to existing open source algorithms; can modify or create their own algorithms or buy commercial third-party libraries such as the FreeMotion™ Library (available from Sensor Platforms, Inc.)

OEMs: the ability to quickly evaluate different sensors, sensor hubs, and sensor algorithms which will allow them to both develop faster and differentiate products.

"Open source initiatives are critical to accelerating innovation in the embedded market,” said Willard Tu, Director of Embedded Solutions Marketing, ARM. "The ecosystem building around ARM’s mbed platform is one of our efforts to spur entrepreneurial efforts and we expect our contributions to OSP to have a similar, galvanizing effect in the developer community.”

"OSP will unlock a whole new generation of sensor innovation, as developers can now focus on building great devices instead of building interfaces,” said Kevin Shaw, Chief Technology Officer, Sensor Platforms, Inc. “OSP allows the software and algorithms to be abstracted from the underlying architecture. With this, we expect to see a growing need for best-in-class algorithms providing amazing contextual capabilities.”

ARM Partner Quotes

Atmel: “With the increasing demand for a rich set of features in consumer products, it is vital for vendors and OEMs to have access to the best sensor hub framework for development,” said Steve Pancoast, Vice President of Software and Tools, Atmel Corporation. “Leveraging this open source framework and ARM’s mbed platform with Atmel’s technologies will allow for a more streamlined process of designing and deploying IoT-connected devices.”

NXP: “NXP is pleased to see the Open Sensor Platform (OSP) framework released on GitHub with enhancements from ARM to leverage the mbed platform,” said John Rayfield, Senior Director, Architecture and Ecosystem, NXP Semiconductors. “The OSP framework simplifies deployment of our ultralow power microcontrollers in sensor-based applications and can accelerate time to market in these application spaces."

Silicon Labs: “As a supplier of both 32-bit ARM-based mixed-signal microcontrollers and a wide range of optical and environmental sensors, Silicon Labs believes that the open source framework for sensors will allow us to provide customers with a quick, turnkey method to add advanced sensing capabilities to their designs,” said Ross Sabolcik, general manager for Analog, Power and Sensor Products, Silicon Labs. “The framework’s ease of use will speed time to market for customers both large and small and expand the use of sensing capabilities in their products for the Internet of Things market.”

STMicroelectronics: “We are delighted to see this open source initiative, said Daniel Colonna, marketing director for Microcontrollers at ST. “When we introduced in early 2013 the new STM32F401 ARM Cortex®-M4–based/FPU Dynamic Efficiency line optimized for sensor hub mobile apps we were delighted to see a strong adoption of it in smart phones. The release of OSP will only add to the successes of ST Microcontrollers and Sensors in many more applications by accelerating the design of sensor hubs."

About ARM

ARM is at the heart of the world's most advanced digital products. Our technology enables the creation of new markets and transformation of industries and society. We design scalable, energy efficient-processors and related technologies to deliver the intelligence in applications ranging from sensors to servers, including smartphones, tablets, enterprise infrastructure and the Internet of Things.

Our innovative technology is licensed by ARM Partners who have shipped more than 50 billion Systems on Chip (SoCs) containing our intellectual property since the company began in 1990. Together with our Connected Community, we are breaking down barriers to innovation for developers, designers and engineers, ensuring a fast, reliable route to market for leading electronics companies. Learn more and join the conversation at http://community.arm.com.

About Sensor Platforms Inc.

Sensor Platforms is a venture-financed company located in Silicon Valley that develops, for licensing, algorithmic software enabling consumer applications to better understand user contexts and intent.

The company’s FreeMotion™ Library makes sensor fusion and user context awareness available in smartphones and tablets, in order to: combine and process data from installed sensors and microprocessors; better interpret users’ movements and situations; and infer users’ intents.

The library makes it easy for device OEMs to purchase their sensors and microprocessors from multiple suppliers without damaging user experience. It also automatically optimizes sensor and platform power consumption based on user movement and contexts, to enable longer battery life.

To create the breadth of the FreeMotion library, the company has assembled a multi-disciplinary engineering team with proven track records in control systems, machine learning, mixed signal design, motion kinematics, real-time systems, semiconductor device physics, and signal processing.